Featured Nonprofit Projects

Shedd Aquarium Project

idea

The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago renovated their Oceanarium in 2008 and wanted to create publicity videos to generate excitement for the project. The Aquarium’s reputation for excellence needed to be reinforced in the videos through their quality and presentation, and the organization knew that Real Media was the studio to accomplish that.

The first need was for a video to establish the historic nature of the Aquarium, so they wanted a piece that outlined the story of the organization’s founding and growth. The organization also needed several pieces that documented the renovation process. The last piece that the Aquarium needed was an introduction video for visitors to watch before they entered the beluga facility.

execution

The history piece was almost entirely built on photographs, so Real Media scanned the pictures and de-constructed the digital images so they could re-construct them in a 3D environment. These photographs were then paired with a strong motion graphics treatment to reinforce the voiceover and the music, creating a distinguished tone that enhanced the Aquarium’s reputation as a leader in aquatics.

Real Media created the documentary pieces with footage that the Aquarium captured throughout the renovation. Paired with motion graphics, voiceovers, and strong music, these videos highlighted several aspects of the renovation. One video compares the architectural drawing to the real-life results. Another video documents the careful transportation of animals from the Shedd Aquarium to another aquatic habitat for the duration of the renovation.

The final piece outlined the care that Shedd’s staff put into rescuing animals from the wild and nurturing them once they were in the Aquarium. For this piece, Real Media travelled to Chicago to film Bill Kurtis outlining the dedication of the Shedd Aquarium staff. The entire video used green screen technology and motion graphics to create the final product.